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Winning Powerball numbers drawn in $435.3M jackpot

ATLANTA — We’re still waiting on word from lottery officials to see if anyone won Wednesday night’s $435.3 million Powerball lottery jackpot.

Wednesday's winning numbers are: 52-10-61-28-13 and the Powerball is 2, with a Powerplay of 2.

The massive jackpot rose after no one won from Saturday’s drawing.

The Multi-State Lottery Association says Wednesday's jackpot would be the 10th largest in Powerball's history.

The largest jackpot in history was $1.6 billion, which was split by three parties in January 2016.

The odds of winning Powerball are about 1 in 292,201,338.

Channel 2’s Justin Wilfon spoke with people in Gwinnet County who waited to the last minute to get their tickets Wednesday night.

The store owner told Wilfon between 2 and 10 p.m., when they stopped selling tickets, the store had 3,000 people who bought just Powerball tickets.

"When it's this high, absolutely.  I kind of test my luck a little, so yeah, it's kind of worth it," one ticket buyer told Wilfon.

The long line also meant a long night for store workers.

“I couldn't even eat my lunch," one store employee told Wilfon.

Residents also drove quite a distance to buy their Powerball tickets.

Robinson and Sons in Tallapoosa, in Haralson County, has been a popular place to buy the lottery tickets near the Georgia/Alabama state line for years, and this time it was no different.

Channel 2's Berndt Peterson talked to folks at the store Wednesday afternoon who drove for well over an hour to buy tickets.

Alabama has no lottery, so of course that calls for a road trip.

Ernestine McNear lives in Birmingham. It took her 60 minutes to do the drive and if she wins, she's willing to share.

"I don't need that much,” McNear said. “I don't want it all. I'm not selfish. We can split it! Ha, ha! We can sure split it."

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7-time lottery winner shares tips for winning Powerball

Forbes spoke to Richard Lustig, who has won seven lottery grand prizes and wrote a book about his trial and error in learning how to do so.

1. Avoid "quick-pick"

The "quick-pick" method works in number sets, which means every number doesn't have the same amount of luck one would perceive. "Every time you buy a quick pick, you get a different set of numbers; therefore, your odds are always going to be at their worst in that particular game," Lustig said to Forbes about the Powerball.

2. Use the entire board

Many people use birthdates and anniversaries when filling out their cards. While your loved ones bring you priceless joy, using their special days to bring home the jackpot will likely mean you end up splitting the prize with 20-40 people. Instead of just playing numbers 1-31, use all the numbers available. "If you spread the numbers out across the whole track, you’ll either be the only winner or will split it with only one or two people,” Lustig says.

3. Stick with your instincts

Lustig has a specific way to finding the numbers you feel most comfortable with in his book, but ultimately, once you pick the group that you think will work, stick with it. “Remember, a set of numbers wins the grand prize, not individual numbers,” Lustig says. If playing multiple cards, have some variety in the grouping of numbers chosen to maximize your odds.

4. Be consistent

Simply put: If you want to win a particular game, follow past and future drawings to get the hang of it.

5. Don't get carried away

While winning $900 million would ultimately grant you and your loved ones financial security, it's important not to spend money you can't afford to lose (i.e.: groceries, rent, etc.) on lottery tickets. If you can only buy one ticket or even 10 but not 100, that's OK. "Set a budget of what you’re going to spend. Do not get caught up in what’s called 'lottery fever,' Lustig says. Spend what you can comfortably afford to on lottery tickets and no more.